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IELTS Writing Task 1: Letter Writing
How to write a letter for IELTS General Writing Task 1
You should spend at least 2 minutes planning your letter.
- Read the instructions thoroughly
- Identify appropriate style (formal, semi-formal or personal)
- Brainstore, make up your story, write down the main keywords and make sure you cover and clearly address all the points.
- Decide how to open the letter
- Oragnise your letter into paragraphs
- Use connecting words to link your ideas.
- Decide how to close the letter.
Important notes:
- You muse use the appropriate style and type of letter.
- Make sure you use all three points to structure your letter.
- Focus on one idea per each bullet point
- Write at least 150 words.
Type of letters
There are three types of letters:
- formal letter
- semi-formal letter
- informal letter (also known as a person letter)
| Formal | Semi-formal | Informal |
|---|---|---|
| You don't know the person's name your are writing to (e.g. bank, foreign univeristy) | You know the person, but he/she is not a close friend to you (e.g. teacher, landlord, manager,colleague ) | You know him or her personally (e.g. friends, family) |
| Greeting: Dear Sir or Madam | Gretting: Dear Mr Smith, Dear Mrs Smith | Greeting: Dear Mom, Dear John, My dear friend |
Letter endings: Your faithfully | Letter endings: Your sincerely / Sincerely yours | Ending: With best wishes/See you soon/Take care/All the best |
| Your name: Mr John Brown (always with a family name, but the title is optional) | Your name: John Brown (always with a family name, but the title is optional) | Your name: John (no title and no family name) |
The tone of the letter is formal. Be polite, You can't use contractions(use I am writing not I'm writing) | The tone of the letter is polite. Mostly formal language; however, use a couple of phrases that are on the informal side | The tone of the letter is informal. You can use contractions (I'm writing), but not abbreviation(see ya) and acronyms (OMG). Do not use academic language. |
| Letter type: complaints, applications, resignations, making arrangements | Letter type:Invitation, explanations, informative letters | Letter type:Invitations, explanations, informative letters, apology |
Informal Letter Structure & Vocabulary
- Dear John, / My dearest Julianne,
- Apologise, give purpose, else
- Apologise
I am sorry I haven't written for so long. My work keeps/studies keep me so busy, that I never have a minute to myselfI am really sorry it has taken me so long to write but I have ...
- Give purpose
I am writing to thank/tell/ask/apologise/wish/congradulate ...I regret to inform you that
- Else
Hello Sofia! Do you remember me? I'm the girl you met ...It was really great hearing from you
- Apologise
- More details
- Expressing congradulations
Marvellous to hear that ... / What a surprise to hear that!I am happy for you / Good for you!How wonderful that you are getting married!You should be so proud of yourself.
- Expressing regret
Unfortunately, I've got some bad news for you.I find it hard to tell you thatI can't find an easy way to tell you thisWords can't express how much I regretIf you need anything, I'd be glad to ...
- Expressing thanks
How nice of you to think of me / Thanks again!I won't forget you kind gesture.
- Giving advice
If I were you I'd ... / ... how about doing thisWhy don't you ... / Let me give you some adviceHope this helped / Let me know how it went
- Letters of invitation / accepting or refusing an invitation
I'd love it if you could come toI hope you will be able to make it.I hope we can get together some other time. How about next week instead?
- Expressing congradulations
- Informal ending, name, signature
With best wishes, JoYour, JoWith love and many thanks from me, JoWith Love, Jo
Business Letter Structure & Vocabulary
- Dear Sir/Madam, (or name if given)
- Explain who you are and why you are writing
I am writing in regard to books I borrowed from the library on July 15, 2021, and never returned.I am writing to apologise.I would like to apply for one of the scholarships I saw advertised in ...I am writing to inform you that I will be leaving the company.
- Explanation in more details: describe your situation and make it clear
At present I am training to be a ... and I finish my course at the end of June.The reason I apply for the scholarship is that ...
- Suggestions: what you expect, apologise if needed; be polite and positive
I understand that other students may need those books and deeply apologise for the inconvenience. I will return the books as soon as possible.I would appreciate being given the opportunity to ... and would be very grateful if you would consider my situation.
- Formal ending, name, signature
I look forward to hearing from you!Your Sincerely, ...(You know the name of person you are writing to)Your faithfully, ...(You don't know the name!)
Some expressions:
- I could be contacted should anything urgent arise.
Complaint Letter Structure & Vocabulary
- Dear Sir/Madam, (or name if given)
- Explanation: 1-2 sentense what you are complaining about
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the ... / My concern about...I am writing to complain about ... / I had been led to believe ...I would like to draw your attention to ...The reason I am writing to you is poor quality of a ..., which I bought in your store.After only two times I was in use, problems started to appear.
- Explain in more detail
- What had happened, what is the problem
I was supposed to receive... Unfortunately, that never happened.I could not blieve that ...
- What are you unhappy about
You can imagine how unhappy I was to discover ...I regret to inform you that your service was below my expectation.
- What did you do the resolve the situation
I contacted your store immediately in order to return ...When I tried to contact you by phone no one could offer me any sensible answer.
- How do you feel about the problem
You can imagine how receiving this offer upset me.
- What had happened, what is the problem
- What action you want the person or company to take / What would you like them to do, what will you do?
The ideal solution would be .../ Nevertheless, I hope/assume you will replace ...I hope you can settle this matter by ... (doing sth)I insist on getting a refund of ...I am very disappointed with the .... Therefore I expect a full refund of $100 as soon as possible.I hope this matter will be resolved / I trust the situation will improve.
- Formal ending, name, signature
I look forward to learing from you!I look forward to receiving a prompt reply!Your sincerely, ...(you know the name of person you are writing to)Your faithfully, ...(you don't know the name)
Userful Phrases
- misleading information
- I would like to complain about the poor quality of service I recently received from your company.
- I wish to make a complaint regarding your inefficient staff. (level of service)
- I am writing to complain about the poor train service your company provided from the 5th to 12th of November. / ... and I missed my plane as a result.
- I am writing to you about the party .... I have a number of complaints. I hope you will agree that it was a very disappointing evening.
- The problems do not stop here. / ... / Furthermore, ...
- To begin with ... / In addition to this, ... / Added to this, there was no ...
- ... was not worth the money I paid for it.
- Having paid a lot of money for the ..., I found this extremely frustrating.
- In your ... you promised a pleasant ..., This was definitely not my experience.
- However, I would like to point out that ...
- I feel I am entitled to a partical refund in addition to an appology for the inconvenience caused.
- Furthermore, you will find a bill on the value of .... I expect it to be compensated as well.
- I would appreciate it if you could look into the matter as soon as possible.
- Otherwise, I will be compelled to report this matter to the police.
Request Letter Structure & Vocabulary
- Dear Sir/Madam, (or name if given)
- The purpose of the letter: explanation, the reason for writing (1-2 sentences what kind of information you are interested in)
I am writing to ask for information about membership in the Snap Fitness Sports Club.I am writing to ask for a complete itinerary of a trip to Africa that I booked with your compamy.I am writing in response to ... / I was interested in your adevertisement inI am writing to inquire about ...
- Explanation in more detail: who you are, exactly what information you need, why, when and in what form you need it (letter, fax, email)
- Who am I?
I have read your advertisement of the ... and would like to get more information.
- What information do I request?
The information I would like to obtain should include the follwing:Firstly, I would like to know ...I would be gateful if you could tell me what the price is.I wonder if I need insurance / I wonder if you couldI would be interested to know if I will get a certificateI would like to know more about ... / I would be grateful if you could ...I wonder if you could possibly tell/send me ...Could you possibly send ... ? / May I request ...?Could you please send me further details ...?
- Why? When?
I would appreciate (it) if you could inform me as soon as possible.I would like to receive it as soon as possible but not later than a week before the flight.
- In what form?
You could send the above-mentioned information to my e-mail or a fax.It would be great if you could fax me the detailYou can contact me on my mobile phone number which is: 0454...
- Who am I?
- Formal ending, name, signature
I look forward to hearing from you!I look forward to receiving a prompt reply!Your sincerely, ...(you know the name of person you are writing to)Your faithfully, ... (you don't know the name!)
Useful Phrases:
- First of all, I would like to know
- I would be grateful if you could inform me ...
- I would appreciate it if ... / I would also like to know whether
- I would be interested in knowing ...
- I would be very grateful if you would/could reply as soon as possible.
- Thank you in advance for your assitance!
- I look forward to your reply at your earliest convenience.
- The trip I refer to starts on March 12, 2022
Job Application Letter Structure & Vocabulary
- Dear Sir/Madam, (or name if given)
- Position - where advertised, when?
I would like to apply for the position of ... advertised in "Times" of January 19th, 2022 / "The Wings" issue of December 2021.I am writing with regard to your advertisement published in January's "Metro" / in yesterday's "Times".I am writing to you to express interest in the ... position as advertised on Careerone.com.au
- Skills, diplomas, experience, personality
- Age, qualifications, present job
I am a ... with more than 10 years of experience in ...I am a recent graduate of the ... University and I have a significant background in ...I graduated from the University of Western Austrilia in 2019 with a degree in ..At present, I am employed as a ... by the company ...
- Experience
As you can see from my CV, I am a ... with 10 years of experience.I had a one-year internship/apprenticeship with ... and the following 3 years ...For the past two years I have worked as ... / I was responsible for ...
- Skills and personal qualities
I consider myself to be reliable, hard-working and enthusiastic.I am used to working at a face pace to meet deadlines.
- Why are you intereted? Motivation, interview, references
I would like to apply my skills in your company.I believe the position you offer will give me the opportunity to ...- If you find my skills and experience suitable, please contact me to schedule an interview.
- I feel that my experience in sales makes me well-suited for this position.
- I consider myself a most suitable applicant for the job.
I have enclosed my references and resume.I hope you will consider my application.I would be happy to send you references from my previous employers if you require them.
- Formal ending, name, signature
I would appreicate a reply at your earlist convenience.I look forward to meeting you to discuss the possibility of employment.- Thank you for your time and consideration!
Your sincerely, ...(you know the person you are writing to)Your faithfully, ...(You don't know the name!)